David Lenoir | 'Forward-thinking partnerships'

Hard-working. Deliberate. Determined. Those are just a few of the qualities that come to mind that are an absolute necessity for the next mayor of Shelby County. Over the course of my career -- as a collegiate athlete, 20 years in the private sector, and the last eight years as a public servant, I have demonstrated those qualities day-in and day-out. I know what it takes to lead, and I know how to work together to create a safer, stronger Shelby County for all of us.

In the eight years that I have had the honor to serve as your Shelby County Trustee, our office created several community initiatives to promote economic stability. These were not big government programs; rather, forward-thinking partnerships with the private sector to effectively address the barriers to the success of individuals and our community. These programs worked on issues such as poverty, blight, financial literacy and access to mainstream banking.

In addition to programs that focus on raising the standard of living for many in our community, we reduced the size of our office, updated our technology and delivered one of the largest budget surpluses ($20 million) in recent history. I will bring this same innovative, collaborative, and fiscally responsible mindset to the Mayor’s office.

Shelby County is blessed with many great assets, but we also face serious challenges that will require serious leadership. Many of these challenges are the result of a lack of access to quality education in turn leading to a lack of opportunity for a great job. Without these two key ingredients, our community will continue to have high crime rates, poverty, blight and less money in the everyday citizen’s pocket.

I will not pretend that the root causes of these challenges will be solved overnight. If fortunate enough to serve as your county mayor, I promise we will work hard to find solutions to the issues facing our community so that families all across Shelby County have the opportunity for a brighter future.

I would be honored to serve as your next Shelby County Mayor. I ask for your vote, and I ask for your prayers. To learn more about our campaign, please visit DavidLenoir.com.